Volunteers help clean up Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge

Dozens of volunteers participated in the 28th annual International Coastal Cleanup at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge.

The International Coastal Cleanup kicked off for its 28th year at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge.

“Since Sandy, there’s been a lot of debris washing up,” said Janise LaBoard, a park ranger. “It’s been a difficult situation trying to get all of that out.”

Dozens of volunteers from the area and various community groups came to clean up the park and coastline on Saturday, September 21.

The nearby North Channel Bridge is frequently the site for religious gatherings where attendees send things such as candles or fruit out into the water. LaBoard said people from those gatherings went to the cleanup and helped remove the items “in a respectful manner.”

Additionally, a group of Boy Scouts and a number of families joined one Jamaica Bay park ranger on the West Pond Trail where the group collected over 20 pounds of debris.

“It was a really wonderful thing to see,” LaBoard said. “It was great to have them and that energy here.”